Japanese word

昨今

Pronunciation

Romajisakkon

Meaning

  • adverbin recent years

Example

昨今、働き方が大きく変わりました。sak kon hatara ki kata ga ō ki ku ka wa ri ma shi ta

In recent years, the way people work has changed greatly.

Illustration for 昨今 (in recent years)

More examples

昨今では、オンラインで学ぶ人も増えています。sak kon de wa o n ra i n de mana bu hito mo fu e te i ma su

In recent years, more people have been studying online.

Core concept

Frames something as belonging to the recent past, especially when discussing changes that have developed over time.

Common phrases

  • 昨今ではsak kon de wa

    in recent years

Similar words

近年kinnen: Refers to the past several years, often in formal discussions of broad trends.
最近saikin: Refers to a recent period before the present in everyday speech.
近頃chikagoro: Refers to a recent period, often in conversational comments about current conditions.

Definition in Japanese

ここ数年の間に起きたことについていう語。近年。ko ko sū nen no aida ni o ki ta ko to ni tsu i te i u go kin nen

Word origin

昨今 (sakkon) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 昨 (saku, "yesterday") and 今 (kon, "now"), giving it the sense of the time just before the present.

Usage tips

  • 昨今 (sakkon) has a formal tone and appears frequently in written explanations of social, economic, or technological developments.

Word lists with this word